Postgraduate - CourseMaster of Surgery

Students who commenced study in 2015 should refer to this course entry for direction on the requirements; to check which units are currently available for enrolment, refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course.

This course entry applies to students commencing this course in 2015 and should be read in conjunction with information provided in the 'Faculty information' section of this Handbook by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

The student's research master's project is to be conceived from the outset as clearly achievable within the standard duration of the degree, taking into consideration all elements, including any compulsory coursework required.

Unit codes that are not linked to their entry in the Handbook are not available for study in the current year.

Description

Candidature in a masters' by research involves the independent investigation of a research problem that has been formulated by the candidate. It is expected that the research undertaken will make a contribution to the knowledge and understanding of the chosen discipline by applying, clarifying, critiquing or interpreting that knowledge. Candidates are supported by a minimum of two supervisors throughout their candidature.

Outcomes

Successful completion of the program will signify that the candidate has successfully completed a course of postgraduate training in research under academic supervision, and has submitted a thesis that the examiners declare to be a contribution to knowledge and which demonstrates the candidate's capacity to carry out independent research.

Candidates will also be able to:

identify and define research questions

identify the appropriate research methods to address the research questions

demonstrate mastery of their chosen research methodology/methodologies

demonstrate theoretical knowledge at master's level in their chosen field of surgery

communicate their research findings in a format appropriate to their academic discipline

write up their research into a high quality thesis

contribute new information or new ways of understanding information in the field of surgical research.

Areas of research

Requirements

Candidates must, in consultation with and under the direct supervision of a member/s of the academic staff:

(a.) carry out a program of research on an agreed topic approved by the faculty in the candidate's chosen discipline for a specified period, including attending and/or presenting at seminars and other related activities as indicated by the faculty

(b.) submit for assessment a thesis of not more than 50,000 words on the program of research which meets the requirements of the examiners. The thesis should embody the results of the candidate's investigation, which demonstrates independence of thought and the candidate's ability to carry out research in that discipline. Submission of the thesis based on or partially based on conjointly published or unpublished work may be permitted.

Areas of study

Progression to further studies

Students may apply to upgrade to PhD candidature after a defined period (usually 9-12 months candidature full-time or equivalent), provided that satisfactory progress has been made and certain conditions are met.